AS NAIL biting and awe inspiring as it was funny, Griffith audiences were treated to a night of mixed emotions when the Great Moscow Circus opened on Wednesday night.

It's been 12 years since the skilled performers have been back to Griffith but the near capacity crowd wasn't disappointed.

Circus general manager Greg Hall said ticket sales for the remaining five shows from tonight through until Sunday were going well.

"Everyone is talking about what they saw," he said.

"The Globe of Death certainly had them excited. On our last tour of Australia we had four motor bikes in the globe and when we were preparing for this show we had requests to bring it back but our policy is not to repeat an act.

"We had such public outcry that we decided we'd try five bikes and added the split to the globe. It took six months to get it right, it's that dangerous.

"This will be the last time you'll see the act because we will replace it with something just as spectacular, or in fact better."